Siding with Mexico over Arizona
Incredible as it may seem, the United States has arrived at an historic crossroad when it comes to truly being "united." It speaks volumes when the head of a Third World country with a terrible human rights record slanders one of our sovereign states on the floor of Congress and half of the chamber -- the Democrats -- stand and cheer. The ties that are supposed to bind Americans together are rapidly coming undone.
Mexico's President Felipe Calderon assailed Arizona for passing a law -- supported by about 70 percent of the state's populace and by a large majority of Americans -- that requires state law enforcement to exercise "reasonable suspicion" regarding the arrest of suspected illegal immigrants. Yet those cheering Democrats and President Barack Obama choose to side with a country that gives a wink and a nod to subverting our laws and political institutions.
A Zogby poll indicates that a large majority of Mexicans feel they have the right to enter the United States without permission. Fifty-eight percent of Mexican respondents further believe our southwestern states "belong" to Mexico. In light of these sentiments, no wonder the Mexican government printed and distributed a comic book-style "guide" to "migrants" instructing them where to cross the border, melt into society and sponge off of medical, educational and other U.S. taxpayer-supported services.
Arizona, California and a growing number of other states are overrun with illegal immigrants -- resulting in everything from rising gang crime to jobs being taken from U.S. citizens. Untold numbers of illegal alien students are even honeycombed throughout our colleges and universities, denying slots to U.S. citizens. Yet the Obama administration would like nothing better than to grant amnesty and "a path to citizenship" to the estimated 15 million illegal aliens who have snuck across our borders. I don't deny that something needs to be done concerning the 15 million illegals, but let's start with securing the border first.
Did you know that the Democrat-controlled Congress stopped construction along the 650-mile U.S.-Mexico border fence that was almost completed? President Obama's homeland security chief, Janet Napolitano, is more of a friend to Mexico than to the state she once governed. She slashed funds to Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio's task force working against illegal alien drug, arms and human smuggling and, also as Arizona's governor, vetoed legislation to deny in-state college tuition to illegal aliens and a bill designating English as the official language of government. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis, a former California representative, also has an interesting open borders record. She opposes federal workplace raids, defends illegal immigrant day labor sites and opposes efforts by cities to enact ordinances against such havens.
Therefore, it shouldn't be surprising that President Obama, Secretary Napolitano and Secretary Solis would join with Democrat leaders in Congress to undermine Arizona and other states seeking to protect their citizenry because the federal government is failing to do so. Indeed, President Obama is well aware that his party's political strategists hope that millions of amnestied illegal aliens will be added to the citizenship rolls to boost Democrat voter turnout in future elections.
In their soft-on-illegals approach, liberals in the media have turned truth upon its head. Consider that the U.S. Supreme Court in Muehler v. Mena ruled that "no independent reasonable suspicion was required" for law enforcement officers to question a person about immigration status while detained during a search for weapons and evidence of gang membership. The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, in the 2005 United States v. Hernandez case, extended this rule to include lawful traffic stops.
What does this mean? The new Arizona law requiring "reasonable suspicion" by police actually puts heightened restrictions on law enforcement that did not exist, and presumably still does not, for federal agents. Accordingly, the Arizona law affords increased protection for illegals. But the political left and their media allies don't want Americans to know that.
Finally, consider the hypocrisy of Mexican leader Calderon. He admitted to CNN that Mexican police check suspected illegal aliens for papers and deport illegals without any due process. Calderon also mischaracterized Arizona's law during his congressional speech, claiming it fosters racial profiling. The law explicitly bans racial profiling-- unlike Mexico. Yet he has the gall to slander Arizona, accusing it of human rights violations! And he gets a standing ovation. Go figure.
As a one-time member of Congress, I never thought so many of my former colleagues would side with a foreign leader over the wishes of the people in a democratic state that comprises the "United States of America." Again, go figure.
J.C. Watts, (JCWatts01@jcwatts.com), is chairman of J.C. Watts Cos., a business consulting group. He is former chairman of the Republican Conference of the U.S. House, where he served as an Oklahoma representative from 1995 to 2002.
